The Best Restaurants in Key West, According to our Tastemakers

In Key West, Florida the turquoise Caribbean sea, unrivaled access to fresh fish and multi-colored sunsets draw some of the best chefs in the world. Eaters can take their pick, whether an Italian eatery or classic steakhouse. Local ingredients like sweet pink shrimp, plump lobster, and iconic key limes appear on menus across the island. But where do the savviest, most experienced foodies consider the best restaurants in Key West? This is our Tastemaker List. We gathered data covering thousands of restaurants to find the top choices according to our smartest diners. Lucky Key West locals and visitors looking to book a table need to check out these remarkable restaurants.

The OpenTable Team

16 Restaurants

Updated February 25, 2020

Restaurants:	Azur, Cafe Marquesa, Antonia's…
Price Range:	$$ - $$$$
Cuisines:	Mediterranean, Contemporary American, Italian…
Neighborhoods:	Key West…

Azur

$$$$

Mediterranean

Key West

4.8

2125 reviews

Azur’s founders Michael Mosi and Drew Wenzel between them worked in restaurants all over Europe before landing in Key West. In creating the brunch and dinner menus for Azur, they turned to the Mediterranean for inspiration. The restaurant’s romantic space fits perfectly with the cuisine, filled with sunlight and sea-blues. Gnocchi is a dinnertime specialty offered in four preparations. Also note the “almost entrees” section of the dinner menu featuring, for example, a confit duck leg with pork cheek and gigante beans and a chorizo-braised oxtail with red quinoa. Brunch, available daily, presents a trio of Benedicts including a yellowtail snapper version. On the sweet side is a signature key lime pie French toast.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Cafe Marquesa

$$$$

Contemporary American

Key West

4.8

2186 reviews

With its classic white tablecloths and sophisticated cuisine, Café Marquesa is a fine choice for romantic and special-occasion dining in Key West. Its venue is notable – the Marquesa Hotel in Old Town, which occupies a set of beautifully restored 19th-century conch houses. Chef Graham Dailey (who appeared on Iron Chef America) offers new American cuisine with a focus on seafood and local flavors. The dinner menu changes seasonally but might include she crab soup and pimento cheese baked oysters among the starters. Entrees feature such dishes as crispy yellowtail snapper with parmesan grits, English pea puree, crab coleslaw and chili butter. Those seeking to enjoy Café Marquesa’s cuisine and top-notch wine list in a more casual setting can take a seat in its small bar area. Here, the restaurant offers small plates along with wines by the glass.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Antonia's

$$$$

Italian

Key West

4.6

1600 reviews

Antonia’s, a Key West institution for more than 30 years, specializes in from-scratch, home-style Italian cuisine. Along with classics like the signature lasagna (made with a veal, pork, beef and lamb bolognese) and a veal scallopini, local seafood features strongly on Antonia’s menus. Consider the pan-roasted local grouper with toasted gnocchi and mushrooms, and the seafood linguine with Key West pink shrimp, local fish, squid and more. Lunch and brunch menus offer several paninis and seven salad choices. The restaurant boasts a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence-winning wine list featuring over 100 labels.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Little Pearl

$$$$

Seafood

Key West

4.8

2006 reviews

Little Pearl opened in the heart of Old Town in early 2017. While it’s a relative newcomer to the local dining scene, Little Pearl quickly established itself as one of the best restaurants in Key West. Its modern and refined take on nautical décor couldn’t be a better fit for cuisine centered around the finest local seafood. Inspirations for chef John Ingelsby’s eclectic dinner menu span the globe from Paris to the Caribbean. Dishes like Bangkok octopus and sake-steamed clams share space with spiced head-on prawns with plantains and sautéed escargots under puff pastry. The jumbo shrimp with stone-ground grits is a nod to the American south, while a signature lobster, shrimp and crab pot pie puts a tempting seafood spin on a comfort-food classic.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

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Seven Fish

$$$$

Seafood

Key West

4.6

2262 reviews

Testament to the popularity of its top-notch seafood-centric cuisine, Seven Fish moved from its original location to a larger space in 2017. The current venue is sleek and modern with floating light fixtures and floor-to-ceiling windows. Fitting with the brightness of the space is a tropical-leaning menu showcasing impeccable local fish and seafood. Examples include a Florida-style crab cake with ginger garlic sauce, sautéed grouper sushi rolls and a snapper with vegetable Thai curry cream sauce. While it’s certainly one of the best restaurants in Key West for seafood, Seven Fish’s signature dish is banana chicken with caramelized walnuts. Regulars rave about the unusual entrée.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Southernmost Beach Cafe

$$$$

Caribbean

Key West

3.7

1083 reviews

Ocean views, casual cuisine and a laid-back vibe characterize the Southernmost Beach Café. It’s one of the best restaurants in Key West based on location alone – the open-air space is just steps from the sand – but top-notch food and drinks are a major draw as well. Chef Matt Slattery takes inspiration from Asian and Caribbean cuisines as well as locally sourced ingredients for his breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. Shareable small plates feature on both lunch and dinner menus, among them conch fritters, grouper cheek tacos and coconut shrimp. Dinner highlights include local fish of the day, available in seven preparations, and the signature drunken scallops with lobster mash. Frozen cocktails are another fitting specialty.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

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Nine One Five

$$$$

Contemporary American

Key West

4.6

3307 reviews

Nine One Five is a bistro and wine bar housed inside a stately Victorian property on one of the quieter stretches of Duval Street. It’s one of the best restaurants in Key West for eclectic cuisine and an excellent selection of wines, many available by the glass. Award-winning chef Brendan Orr presents a dinner menu split into salads, shareables, homemade pastas, mains and raw items including ceviche, ahi gravlax and beef carpaccio. Among the shareables are grilled octopus with chickpea ragout, littleneck clams with spicy chorizo, and roasted cauliflower with capers. Fish and seafood options are plentiful among main dishes, but a churrasco steak, grass-fed burger and oven-roasted chicken with caramelized endive might prove just as tempting.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

A&B Lobster House

$$$$

Seafood

Key West

4.6

3482 reviews

A&B Lobster House has served Key West locals and visitors since 1947, making it a genuine institution. Its longevity must be attributed in part to the restaurant’s prime setting on the waterfront, where diners enjoy views across the harbor and Key West Bight from the wrap-around porch. Lobster is naturally a specialty, available as a starter with escargots, as a bisque and in seven variations as a main course. Among those are a Florida lobster cioppino, lobster and mushroom risotto and butter-poached lobster with candied bacon and leek and roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Prime steaks, slow-roasted prime rib and a pork tenderloin with morels are enticing alternatives to fish and seafood.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Martin's

$$$$

European

Key West

4.6

1283 reviews

Martin’s, a fine-dining favorite for over 25 years, brings together European elegance with Key West’s tropical vibe. Its Duval Street venue comprises three distinct spaces: a casual lounge, formal dining room and a palm-shaded garden patio. Chef Martin is originally from Germany, and a few dishes on the dinner and tapas menus reflect his heritage. For example, there’s a classic wiener schnitzel served with spatzle and lingonberry marmalade, and a bratwurst on sauerkraut. Others focus on top-quality local seafood and fish with sunnier notes, such as lobster tail “Caribe,” yellowtail capri and the calamari ceviche martini with seaweed salad. Martin’s also specializes in martinis and presents a dedicated menu of signature cocktails.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

La Te Da

$$$$

American

Key West

4.8

1533 reviews

Key West fixture La Te Da combines a hotel, restaurant and two bars – the terrace bar and piano bar, which regularly hosts live cabaret shows. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, with brunch service on Sunday. Expect elevated American classics showcasing local ingredients, such as a red and gold beet salad with green beans, goat cheese and pecans, and a meatloaf with exotic mushroom sauce. Seafood dishes include a shrimp scampi with roasted tomatoes and baked crab cakes with citrus beurre balance. There are ample vegetarian options as well. Sandwiches feature strongly on the lunch menu, among them a tropical blackened yellowtail Reuben.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Bagatelle

$$$$

Seafood

Key West

4.6

2916 reviews

Bagatelle, one of the best restaurants in Key West, occupies a historic two-story building on bustling Duval Street. It’s known among locals for serving brunch seven days a week. The lengthy brunch menu includes sweet and savory classics plus original creations like the southern Benedict with citrus-braised pork, poached eggs and Cajun hollandaise over toasted cornbread. Bagatelle also presents a Caribbean-meets-southern dinner menu nightly and both morning and afternoon happy hours. The dinner menu includes many seafood creations, among them a Mediterranean octopus starter and main dishes of pan-seared hogfish, blackened swordfish and seafood linguini. The signature lobster mac and cheese features on both brunch and dinner menus.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Bistro 245

$$$$

Contemporary American

Key West

4.5

1323 reviews

At the waterfront Margaritaville Resort and Marina in Key West, Bistro 245 presents fine cuisine with glorious views across the harbor. Evening visitors enjoy an unrivaled sunset experience. The bistro is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days, with a lavish Champagne brunch option on Sundays. There are tropical touches throughout the menus, from Caribbean French toast with coconut, cinnamon and bananas for breakfast and brunch. Lunch and dinner menus offer an island gazpacho and Caribbean seafood salad with blue crab, gulf shrimp and lobster tossed in a ginger-mango dressing. Entrees with exotic flavors include a truffle-crusted grouper with lobster hash and a flame-grilled lemon garlic mahi.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Latitudes Key West, FL on Sunset Key

$$$$

Contemporary American

Key West

4.8

11813 reviews

Latitudes is the signature restaurant of the upscale Sunset Key Cottages resort. Tropical breezes, views across the gulf and menus centered around island cuisine are the major draws to the restaurant for visitors and locals alike. The main dining room – named the Ernest Hemingway Room – displays photographs of famous Key West figures, while the outdoor terrace offers a romantic space lit by tiki torches. Latitudes is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. A few menu highlights include pickled Key West pink shrimp with manchego grit croutons and green tomato-bacon jam, a tomato and watermelon caprese with aged balsamic and lava salt, and a pan-roasted Caribbean lobster tail with red coconut curry.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Prime Steakhouse

$$$$

Steakhouse

Key West

4.8

2246 reviews

Prime Steakhouse always ranks highly among the best restaurants in Key West for a special-occasion meal. It’s an old-school, upscale restaurant but with a casual-leaning vibe befitting its setting above a pool bar in Old Town. As with the majority of fine dining venues in Key West, Prime Steakhouse offers an array of top-notch seafood items including a catch of the day, but it keeps the focus on top-quality steaks and chops. Options range from a 10-ounce filet mignon (also available as a surf and turf with a Florida lobster tail) to a 24-ounce porterhouse or bone-in rib eye. All are char-broiled to order with a signature seasoning. A la carte sides include some decadent options like truffled macaroni and smoked gouda.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

First Flight Island Restaurant & Brewery

$$$$

Seafood

Key West

4.5

929 reviews

The building in downtown Key West occupied by First Flight Island Restaurant and Brewery is a local landmark – in the 1920s it was the birthplace of Pan-Am Airways. The restaurant and brewery take inspiration from the venue’s heritage by embracing a vintage aviation theme. Its expansive outdoor terrace shaded by tropical foliage is a delightful place to dine, as is a cheerful indoor dining room. Lunch, brunch and dinner menus feature classic American comfort food with diverse global flavors. Consider the dozen-plus “for the table” plates, which include a beef brisket mac and cheese, street corn avocado and beer-steamed clams. The eatery is notable as the southernmost brewery in the USA, and its original brews are available on tap.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Tavern N' Town - Marriott Key West

$$$$

American

Key West

4.6

1760 reviews

Tavern N’ Town, a popular restaurant and tapas bar, is located inside the Marriott Key West hotel. The venue’s elegant-casual vibe and excellent cuisine are just as appealing to locals and visitors as they are to as hotel guests. An unexpected attraction is the restaurant’s “tapas theater kitchen,” which puts its chefs’ skillful preparations on show. Sharing space on the dinner menu are tapas, pizzas, entrees from the land and sea, and a dozen creative sides. Tapas options include lemon-crusted sea scallop over Vermont white cheddar grits, while stand-outs among the entrees are balsamic-braised bison ribs and a pistachio-crusted black grouper. Tavern N’ Town is also open for breakfast daily.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

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